"Electrifying... bold, idiosyncratic and disturbingly funny... a terrific debut."

Evening Standard

"Razor-sharp, darkly comic and blisteringly relevant... a love letter to female friendship and a sharp dissection of how systemic misogyny deforms even the most intimate bonds... Pickett, a rising voice in British theatre, has written a script that is lean but dense, rich in vernacular and laced with wit. It crackles with crude yet charming dialogue... pulls the past into the present with unflinching clarity and bitter humour... The result is a play that feels vital and gripping. With its killer laugh-out-loud one-liners, pitch-perfect performances, and chilling observations, 1536 isn't just a period piece; it's a call to arms, dressed up as a comedy."

Independent

"Effortlessly funny, bold and ballsy."

The Guardian

"What a joy it is to be at the birth of a really good play. Ava Pickett's 1536 is one such: a simple yet super-smart concept, a wonderfully vibrant script and a host of resonant themes... a cracking debut."

Financial Times

"Original and exciting... The cleverness of the play is the way it refracts some of the most famous events in history through the lives of unknown women, and in the process paints a portrait of a society where a King's actions validate the behaviour of men, encouraging them to treat women as disposable things... the dialogue is wonderfully supple and lively... it marks Pickett as a real talent to watch."

WhatsOnStage

"Effervescent and extremely funny."

Telegraph

"A fascinating feminist hybrid of EastEnders, Samuel Beckett and Wolf Hall... The engine of the play is Pickett's superb dialogue and the sweary, lairy modern language chats the women have... tremendous... a droll and perceptive period piece that's also a searing and unsettling contemporary feminist drama... we should all listen."

Time Out

"Vividly engaging... the writing has compelling dash and flair, the dialogue, deliberately at odds with the 16th-century setting, packed with lively humour and sweary anachronism, and the characters drawn with engagingly pungent authenticity... leaves you eager to see where Pickett's theatrical imagination might take her next."

The Stage

"A phenomenal piece of theatre... The script is outstanding. Pickett has written three women who are clearly rooted in the 16th century in which the play is set – but their language and interactions are completely contemporary... it issues an important warning that resonates across the ages."

Theatre & Tonic

"Compelling and accomplished... a fresh and timeless story told through a unique historical lens."

West End Best Friend